 | |||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||
 County results Bangerter: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% Owens: 50–60% 60–70% | |||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||
| Elections in Utah |
|---|
 |
The 1984 Utah gubernatorial election was held on November 6, 1984. Republican nominee Norman H. Bangerter defeated Democratic nominee Wayne Owens with 55.87% of the vote, becoming Utah's first Republican governor in 20 years.
Up until 1984, the Democratic Party had held the Utah Governors seat for twenty years since Cal Rampton first won in 1964. Popular Democratic Governor Scott Matheson declined to seek a third time, allowing for an open democratic primary, in which former congressman Wayne Owens won. Kem Gardner, the chairman of the State Board of Regents, a wealthy real estate developer, and Owen's main opponent in the primary, routinely attacked Owens as being too liberal, a label Owens denied. Despite have the backing of party leadership and their endorsements, Gardner lost the primary by 24 points. [1] In the Republican primary, Utah House Speaker Norman Bangerter faced off against congressman Dan Marriott, and won by nearly 13 points. Bangerter stated that his win was due to groundwork laid out by his legislative colleagues, as well as believing that Utahan's were "..ready for that experience and maybe a new face." Marriott blamed low turnout and "democratic crossover" for his loss, as well as believing voters weren't used to seeing a congressman trying fill a governors role. [2]
Since Republicans already held every major elective office in Utah, from Congress to state executive positions, as well as having a majority in the state legislature, the race was seen as a likely Republican pick-up. [1] Owen's consistently trailed in the polls behind Bangerter to election day. Nevertheless, Owen's embarked on a last minute 36-hour campaign blitz, making stops in crowded spaces from stores to bowling alleys, as well as organizing "honk and wave" demonstrations for passing drivers. Bangerter spent the last hours of the campaign at a Republican rally and gave media interviews. [3] Bangerter was ultimately elected with 55.87% of the vote, compared to Owen's 43.78%, further solidifying Republican dominance in the state.
Primary elections were held on August 21, 1984.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Wayne Owens | 51,302 | 62.02% | |
| Democratic | Kem Gardner | 31,421 | 37.98% | |
| Total votes | 82,723 | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Norman H. Bangerter | 94,347 | 56.40% | |
| Republican | Dan Marriott | 72,940 | 43.60% | |
| Total votes | 167,287 | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Norman H. Bangerter | 351,792 | 55.87% | ||
| Democratic | Wayne Owens | 275,669 | 43.78% | ||
| American | L. S. Brown | 2,158 | 0.34% | ||
| Majority | 76,123 | 12.09% | |||
| Turnout | 629,619 | ||||
| Republican gain from Democratic | Swing | ||||
In the Little America Hotel, Bangerter was greeted by a large crowd of supporters and with a rendition of the song "Happy Days are Here Again" playing as he took to the stage for a speech, a tune closely related to Franklin Roosevelt's 1932 campaign. Bangerter promised that the democrats would still have a voice in his government, saying "I intend in this assignment to be a governor to all people." A few blocks away, at the Salt Lake Hilton Hotel, Democrats realized they lost their only method to balance power in the Republican controlled legislature. However, it was reported that a spirit of optimism was still in the Hilton. [9]
Bangerter's victory would mark a new Republican dominance in Utah's gubernatorial elections, as a Democrat has not won the seat from that time up to 2024 [update] . [10]
Robert William Bishop is an American politician who served as the U.S. representative for Utah's 1st congressional district from 2003 to 2021. A member of the Republican Party, he became the dean of Utah's congressional delegation after the retirement of Orrin Hatch from the U.S. Senate in 2019.
The 1978 United States Senate elections were held on November 7, in the middle of Democratic President Jimmy Carter's term. The 33 seats of Class 2 were contested in regular elections. Special elections were also held to fill vacancies.
The 1976 United States Senate elections was an election for the United States Senate. Held on November 2, the 33 seats of Class 1 were contested in regular elections. They coincided with Democrat Jimmy Carter's presidential election and the United States Bicentennial celebration. Although almost half of the seats decided in this election changed parties, Carter's narrow victory did not provide coattails for the Democratic Party. Each party flipped seven Senate seats, although, one of the seats flipped by Democrats was previously held by a Conservative.
Douglas Wayne Owens was an American politician and a member of the United States House of Representatives for Utah's 2nd congressional district from 1973 to 1975 and again from 1987 to 1993. He was posthumously inducted into the Hinckley Institute of Politics hall of Fame.
David Daniel Marriott is an American politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives for Utah's 2nd congressional district from 1977 to 1985.
The 2004 Utah gubernatorial election took place on November 2, 2004. The incumbent governor was Republican Olene S. Walker, who had become governor following Mike Leavitt's resignation to join the George W. Bush administration. However, Walker placed fourth in the Republican primary, far behind Jon Huntsman Jr. Huntsman won the nomination and went on to win the general election, carrying 25 of the 29 counties and winning 57.7% of the overall vote. This was the last time that a Democratic nominee for any statewide office has received forty percent or more of the popular vote, and the most recent election in which a Democratic nominee carried more than three counties in the state.
Wilford Val Oveson is an American Republican Party politician in the state of Utah. Oveson has held several state offices in Utah, most notably the third lieutenant governor of Utah, and the federal office of National Taxpayer Advocate for the Internal Revenue Service. He resides in Bountiful, Utah.
The 1958 United States Senate election in Utah was held on November 4, 1958.
The 1974 United States Senate election in Utah took place on November 5, 1974 alongside other elections to the United States Senate in other states as well as elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections.
The 2014 United States House of Representatives elections in Utah were held on November 4, 2014, to elect the four U.S. representatives from Utah, one from each of the state's four congressional districts. Representatives are elected for two-year terms; those elected would serve in the 114th Congress from January 2015 until January 2017.
Doug Owens is an American politician from Utah that represents District 33 in the Utah House of Representatives. He ran for Congress twice for Utah's 4th District. He was the Democratic nominee for Congress in this district in 2014 and 2016, and he was defeated by Mia Love both times.
The 2020 Utah gubernatorial election was held on November 3, 2020, to elect the governor of Utah. Incumbent Republican governor Gary Herbert declined running for re-election to a third full term.
The 1988 Utah gubernatorial election was held on November 8, 1988. Republican nominee and incumbent governor Norman H. Bangerter defeated Democratic nominee Ted Wilson and independent Merrill Cook with 40.13% of the vote. As of 2023, this is the closest a Democrat has come to winning the governorship in Utah since Scott M. Matheson left office in 1985.
The 1912 Utah gubernatorial election was held on November 5, 1912. Incumbent Republican William Spry defeated Democratic nominee John Franklin Tolton with 38.17% of the vote against his 32.36% in a four way race, with Progressive nominee Nephi L. Morris winning 21.16% of the vote, and Socialist nominee Homer P. Burt winning 7.89% of the vote.
The 1908 Utah gubernatorial election was held on November 3, 1908. Republican nominee William Spry defeated Democratic nominee Jesse William Knight with 47.45% of the vote.
The 1904 Utah gubernatorial election was held on November 8, 1904. Republican nominee John Christopher Cutler defeated Democratic nominee James Moyle with 49.97% of the vote.
The 1900 Utah gubernatorial election was held on November 6, 1900. Incumbent Republican Heber Manning Wells defeated Democratic nominee James Moyle with 51.98% of the vote.
The 1916 Arkansas gubernatorial election was held on November 7, 1916.
The 1895 Utah gubernatorial election was held on November 3, 1895. It was the first gubernatorial election in the state of Utah and it was held before it became a state on the 4 of January, 1896, to set up the machinery for the new state. Republican Heber Manning Wells defeated Democratic nominee John Thomas Caine with 50.32% of the vote. Wells' first term was to run for five years, until the next general election in 1900. Also, Populist Henry W. Lawrence ran but only won 4.95% of the vote.
The 2024 Utah gubernatorial election was held on November 5, 2024, to elect the governor of Utah, concurrently with the 2024 U.S. presidential election, as well as elections to the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections. Incumbent Republican Governor Spencer Cox won re-election to a second term, defeating Democratic nominee, state Representative Brian King and Republican state Representative Phil Lyman, who ran as a write-in candidate after being defeated in the Republican primary. Primary elections took place on June 25, 2024.
